Eric Clapton, Tears in Heaven
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/eric+clapton/tears+in+heaven_20051574.html
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And as we wind on down the road
our shadows taller than our soul
there walks a lady we all know
who shines white light and wants to show
how everything still turns to gold
and if you listen very hard
the tune will come to you at last
when all are one and one is all
to be a rock and not to roll.

- Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81eSIwsLcWg
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I'm going with Neil Young's "A Man Needs a Maid."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwx5ZtAmz9o

On one level, the song is clearly misogynist...Young's narrator is talking about treating the women in his life like hired help, specifically "someone to keep his house clean, fix his meals and go away." It reduces the function of a girlfriend, wife or lover to a servant.

But like most great songs, it's working on more than one level. Neil's sweet, heartfelt tone when he sings it, along with the haunted reading of the last line - "When will I see you again?" - kind of gives the game away. This is a person who has been hurt, and is kind of lashing out. He's saying all he wants is a maid, but he doesn't really mean it.

Also, the song's just kind of funny...Especially this one section...

"I fell in love with the actress/She was playing a part/that I could understand..."

We then get a little pause before Neil adds:

"A maid!"

It can be read both ways...He fell in love with an actress after connecting with her role (this is thought to be true of Young's relationship with actress Carrie Snodgress), but also he fell in love with her because she was playing a maid, which is the only role for women that the narrator can truly understand.

"A Man Needs A Maid"

My life is changing
in so many ways
I don't know who
to trust anymore
There's a shadow running
thru my days
Like a beggar going
from door to door.

I was thinking that
maybe I'd get a maid
Find a place nearby
for her to stay.
Just someone
to keep my house clean,
Fix my meals and go away.

A maid. A man needs a maid.
A maid.

It's hard to make that change
When life and love
turns strange.
And old.

To give a love,
you gotta live a love.
To live a love,
you gotta be "part of"
When will I see you again?

A while ago somewhere
I don't know when
I was watching
a movie with a friend.
I fell in love with the actress.
She was playing a part
that I could understand.

A maid. A man needs a maid.
A maid.

When will I see you again?
Source(s):
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neilyoung/amanneedsamaid.html
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1268

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Evidence by Katatonia: This is my favorite band, and I love this song. The video is a live performance, and it's definitely worth checking out. I hope some of you enjoy it.

I hold my breath and check the time
One minute no collapse
If you only knew what I would do for you
One thirty breathing lapse
We're going in my voice is thin
When I tell you to remember
That no one will find you
My promise from the heart
If we part my pulse will guide you through

Be still for a moment
Everything depends upon you
If you die I will die too
Once we were heroes
But everything has changed since then
Now they recognize you too

I stay too long something's wrong
You walk out of the picture
I hold my breath and check the time
One thirty I collapse
We went in my voice was thin
When I told you to remember

I'm the evidence
You passed the test and that's so good for you
O love will you read the letters I will send to you
Will I come along
Will they let me out to take the test
O love is the score enough for me to pass the test
be free for once in your life tonight
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Don't ask me why but this song always gives me goose bumps...
Amazing Grace Lyrics

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see. (end)

And I'm not really religious.
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For me, the greatest lyrics ever (with my apologies to Lennon's "Imagine") belong to Don McLean's "American Pie".

The lyrics were thoughtful, reminiscent narratives that were also thick with symbolism about the change coming to the world. Talk about real poetry, real emotion, and real history. This song is iconic!

And as a former band geek (once a band geek always a band geek?), I still get chills at my favorite line:
"When the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield..."

Plus, how many lyrics can cause so much discussion and debate over the meanings?? Students still dissect each line. Beautiful.

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, theyd be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper Id deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldnt take one more step.

I cant remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that youre in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Now for ten years weve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin stone,
But thats not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devils only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satans spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where Id heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldnt play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

They were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Source(s):
www.lyricsfreak.com

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I'm going to vote for Yoda, by Weird Al Yankovic.

http://yankovic.org/WeirdAl/c_Dare_To_Be_Stupid/#05

I met him in a swamp down in Dagoba
Where it bubbles all the time like a giant carbonated soda
S-O-D-A, soda
I saw the little runt sitting there on a log
I asked him his name, and in a raspy voice he said, "Yoda"
Y-O-D-A, Yoda
Yo Yo Yo Yo Yoda...

Check the link for the rest, or listen to the vid...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOPsfaQRcbk

And in second place, Lola, by the Kinks.

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/k/kinks/lola_20079021.html

I met her in a club down in old soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola
C-o-l-a cola..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJiHp-2CmVY

Ok, there are lots of great answers to this question, and most of them could deserve to win. But the lyrics for both of these songs are brilliant!
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HRSA lyrics-Blue October

Comitted at twenty two
Just to get over you
My belly aches blue
Lorazepam flu
I'm down for the count
Always three times a day
Sometimes four
A bee stings right through the arm
The high swing I ride upon
My eyes can't quite focus on
The nurse with my Lucky Charms
Well a two step was just a laugh
Our boundaries were broke in half
It's a good thing to know
As you walk into group for the show

knock-knock on the window pane
My smoke break, the hour rang
My quiet roommate sleeps the same
Woke up when dinner came
The man's no more than forty old
Arrived scared two days ago
A family of earth and gold
But still nottheless alone
I learned quick. Knew what to say
Then three angels walked my way
In Spanish tongue they knelt to pray
And said "God keep him safe
From screaming voices"
They became my family
Outstretched their hands are on my head
You know, I can feel them breathing
They actually knelt down and prayed for me
They actually knelt down and prayed for me

Don't you dare put me on H.R.S.A
Does self abuse extend your hospital stay?
I think I'll lie a bit
Lord I won't cry over anything
Over anything at all
I won't cry over anything at all
Source(s):
http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/blue-october-lyrics/hRSA-lyrics.html

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Talking of great lyrics & nobody's mentioned Leonard Cohen? Rarely a performer I like, but what a great lyricist.

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --

She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear

-- Sincerely, L. Cohen
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I'm going to go with Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road" on this one - while he has a large catalog of outstanding lyrics, in my opinion this is definitely one of his best (musically and lyrically). This song never fails to grab me - the debate rages on as to whether Mary's dress sways or waves (seems to switch between the two at live shows) but the second that screen door slams I'm sucked in all over again.

The screen door slams
Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold
Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
>From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
And I know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
But tonight we'll be free
All the promises'll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets

They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind, so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers
And I'm pulling out of here to win.
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